Dr Andrew Hobbs
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Andrew is a former newspaper and magazine journalist. He's a a Senior Lecturer in International Journalism who teaches on practical and theoretical journalism modules. He researches the history of journalism, particularly local/regional identities in 19th-century provincial newspapers and 20th-century county magazines. Andrew is keen to supervise postgraduate projects on the history of journalism.
Andrew leads a number of journalism modules, conducts research and co-ordinates the journalism postgraduate research students. He assesses research proposals on the university's Ethics Review Panel for Business, Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.
Andrew's journalism career began with a punk fanzine in his teens. After his undergraduate Psychology and Philosophy degree, he reported and sub-edited on regional and national newspapers and magazines. A specialism in HIV/AIDS led to three years working for Zambian NGO Family Health Trust, helping young people to produce their own training and education materials. Back in the UK, an interest in history led to a part-time Masters a full-time AHRC-funded PhD, and an academic career. He is currently editing the only known diaries of a Victorian provincial journalist, Anthony Hewitson (1836-1912), and produced a play marking the centenary of Hewitson's death, in collaboration with playwright Derek Martin and actor John Hickey. Andrew gives talks to local history groups, and has given interviews to the media about newspaper history. He has written two articles for The Conversation, and contributes to a number of history blogs.
- Research Degrees Tutor for Journalism
- PhD History, University of Central Lancashire, 2010
- MA History, University of Central Lancashire, 2004
- NCTJ Diploma in Newspaper Journalism, Richmond College, Sheffield, 1984
- BA (Hons) Psychology and Philosophy, University College, Oxford, 1982
- 2019 Robert and Vineta Colby Scholarly Book Prize, for best book on Victorian newspapers and periodicals, awarded by the Research Society for Victorian Periodicals, for his 2018 open-access book, A Fleet Street in Every Town: The Provincial Press in England, 1855-1900.
- History of journalism
- History of reading
- Provincial print culture
- 19th-century newspapers and periodicals, particularly the local press
- 20th-century county magazines
- Print culture and local identities
- Fellow of the Royal Historical Society
- Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
- Member of council and editorial board, Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire
- Member of editorial board, Victorian Periodicals Review
Andrew is interested in the history of journalism, and how readers used newspapers. He is particularly interested in how the provincial press promoted and reflected local and regional identities. He is keen to supervise research projects on any aspect of journalism history.
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- History
- Scholarly edition of the only known diaries of a Victorian provincial journalist, Anthony Hewitson (1836-1912)
- 20th-century county magazines: from earnest social purpose to glossy consumerism
- The 19th-century press as history publisher
- 2020 Linda H Peterson Fellowship ($17,500) from the Research Society for Victorian Periodicals
- £1,000 from Marc Fitch fund towards open-access publishing of monograph, 2018
- $2,500 Curran Fellowship, for preliminary work on Hewitson diaries, 2012
- £1,091.80 Student-Led Initiative grant from AHRC for postgraduate conference, ‘Place In Print, Print In Place: English Local And Regional Newspapers 1800-1925’, University of Central Lancashire, 2008
- Keynote, Research Society for Victorian Periodicals, Philadelphia, 2020 (postponed)
- Uses of the Past, Regional Heritage Centre, Lancaster University, 2015
- Oxford University Continuing Education Department dayschool on local newspapers and communities, 2012
- Flash Histories (short-form history writing), Bristol, 2019
- Research Society for Victorian Periodicals, 2017, 2015, 2013, 2011, 2008
- Society for the History of Authorship, Reading and Publishing, Paris, 2015
- Communities of Communication II: Newspapers and Periodicals in Britain and Ireland from 1800 to 1900, University of Edinburgh, 2015
- NAVSA/BAVS/AVSA conference, Venice, 2013
- W. T. Stead: Centenary Conference of a Newspaper Revolutionary, British Library, 2012
- The Future of Journalism, Cardiff University, 2011
- Mapping the Magazine, Cardiff University, 2011
- Journalism and History, University of Sheffield, 2010
- Reading and the Age of Gladstone, Hawarden, 2009
- Reading the Evidence, Evidence of Reading, University of London, 2008
- British Association for Victorian Studies, University of Salford, 2007
Telephone:+44 (0)1772 895993
Email: Email:Dr Andrew Hobbs
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